


tattoo parlour

by allp_wips



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-01
Updated: 2019-05-01
Packaged: 2020-07-23 22:34:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20015869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allp_wips/pseuds/allp_wips
Summary: "When I said you needed to get a job and start paying your own rent," Alex says, looking around the small tattoo parlour, "this is not what I had in mind."





	tattoo parlour

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phplZnywwIw 

"When I said you needed to get a job and start paying your own rent," Alex says, looking around the small tattoo parlour, "this is not what I had in mind."

Astra, who seems to be in the middle of sketching some new design, looks up at her.

"I hear no complaints from the landlord of the "halfway house" that you forced me into," she remarks, going back to her design.

"You opened up a Kryptonese tattoo parlour," Alex says. "What happened to keeping a low profile?"

"Most people simply consider it a novelty."

Alex stares askance at her, and then goes back to studying the photographs on the wall of Astra's previous clients, recognizing the lettering from her studies with her father.

"There's no way someone asked you to tattoo 'I'm a fool.' on them," she says, pointing at a particularly egregious one, sported by a very proud-looking customer.

Astra shrugs. "The customer asked me to tattoo the Kryptonese version of 'YOLO'. It was as close a translation as I could get."

Alex shakes her head.

"Astra, you can't just go around giving people fake Kryptonese tattoos."

"Oh, I don't simply give Kryptonese tattoos," Astra assures her. "I can also do passing Martian, Andromedan, and even Interlac."

"That doesn't make it better," Alex deadpans. "I'm pretty sure this comes under misrepresentation."

"It's hardly so serious."

"That one says fuck off!" Alex protests, pointing at another photo.

Astra looks unrepentant. "In my defense, that customer was quiet unpleasant to me, for the entirety of their visit."

"And this one," Alex says, now on a roll. She squints at the single-letter tattoo, which isn't one she recognizes, although it looks vaguely like Kryptonese. "Actually, I don't know what this one says. Are there extra letters in your alphabet that I don't know about?"

"No, that's simply a stylized tic tac toe board," Astra says.

Alex rubs her forehead. She supposes it's a harmless enough trade, but-

  


"You can't just go around fooling people, Astra."

"It's hardly my fault that they're foolish enough to want tattoos in languages they don't bother to learn," Astra says. "I merely provide a service for which demand already exists."

"You're going to get attacked again," Alex says. "Why can't you just find some nice, quiet occupation that'll keep you out of trouble?"

"Now, where is the fun in that?" 

Unlike Alex, Astra looks entirely at peace, as she stretches out in her chair in an extremely distacting way. She looks over Alex in the slow manner that always makes Alex feel both extremely awkward and flattered at once. 

To hide her awkwardness, Alex goes back to studying the photos. It looks like most of Astra's clients are those who want tattoos in Kryptonese, or whatever other alien language takes their fancy, for whatever reason. There are a few artistic ones peppered in there, though, that Alex finds to be quite breathtaking. She would be the last to lay claim to having an eye for art, but the masterfully colored depictions of alien flora and fauna please her scientific curiosity as much as they please her aesthetic sense.

"I like these," she says, pointing at those. She supposes that she can see why Astra would be put out at not getting to do more of those.

"I can do one for you."

Alex turns in surprise, to see Astra staring at her. 

"Oh," Alex says. "No. No thanks."

She has her fair share of tattoos over her body, mostly remants of her college years. While Alex doesn't regret any of them, it's been years since she has considered getting another one.

"I can make it something small and simple," Astra says, surveying her with half-hooded eyes. "No words."

"I don't believe you," Alex grumbles.

"Don't you trust me?"

It should be _illegal_ , the way Astra's voice goes low and her eyes get speculative, and how it all makes Alex's brain stop functioning for a full few seconds.

"Uh-"

"Please," Astra says, looking at her with strangely intense eyes.

Alex draws an aggravated breath. She will not give in. Astra had been a dangerous criminal just a year ago. Her puppy eyes will not work on Alex, who is a strong, intimidating DEO agent trained in the art of negtotaiton. She won't be-

"Fine," she says, walking over and sitting in front of Astra with a sigh. "But, I'm gonna double check it with Kara, and I'm kicking your ass all the way to the sun if she starts laughing."

\---

It takes a few hours for the tattoo to be done, and the process hurts more than Alex remembers it doing during her previous experiences. Though she can't turn around to see the tattoo, and Astra refuses to explain what it is, Alex surmises from the pain that she must be going to town with the color, instead of just doing plain linework.

"There," Astra says, when she's finally done. Her voice is oddly quiet.

Before Alex can break her neck trying to twist her head, she brings up two mirrors, aligning them properly so Alex can see the tattoo.

"What is it?" Alex asks, staring at the small and simple design of a single flower, exquistely colored, that's blooming on her shoulder. "Is that some kind of plant from Krypton?"

"No," Astra's voice is soft. "It's from Colu."

Alex blinks. "But, that's-"

"The planet so sophisticated that every inch of it is covered with machinery and computers, yes," Astra says. "There's not even a single blade of grass to be found, if you walk the surface of Colu. The only flora that remains is cultivated underground, away from the watchful eyes of the tyrants, and this flower is one of the rare ones that grow in such a hostile environment. I was gifted a graft of it once, by a rebel Coluan who had fled his tyrannical homeworld."

Alex studies the tattoo, as the words sink in.

"It's beautiful," she says, finally. "But why-"

"Because you saw something in me, where I thought there was nothing," Astra says. "If it weren't for that night on the rooftop, where you extended an olive branch to me, I would not be alive today."

Alex swallows, not quite knowing what to say. Astra doesn't seem to be expecting a reply, though, because she sets about cleaning the tattoo and bandaging it up without further ado.

"Uh," Alex finally says, as Astra is curling plastic wrap around her shoulder. "Thanks."

She can feel her face warming, when she looks to the side to see Astra entirely too close to her, as she works away, brow furrowed in concentration. It's not escaping Alex's notice that she's basically naked from the waist up in front of the woman who's been her long-time crush, not having bothered with the towel Astra had handed her. "Astra, do you ever regret it? Coming to our side?"

Astra momentarily glances at her, as she puts the rest of the plastic wrap away. 'No. Looking back, it was objectively the best choice."

"But, how do you feel about it?" Alex persists.

Astra's eyes soften. "I managed to reconcile with Kara. I met you. I had the chance to break out of a prison of my own making. I suppose that I feel... free. And sane. Which is more than I can say of my existence for the past few decades of my life."

"Okay," Alex says, thinking that over. Something warm seems to be filling up inside her, at Astra mentioning her specifically in her answer.

"I assume you already know how to treat your tattoo," Astra says, "judging by the others on your body." 

Alex freezes, wondering which ones she's talking about, the ones that are currently visible, or the ones that she could only have seen with her X-Ray vision.

"Right, yeah." She clears her throat, refusing to take that train of thought any further, when she's sitting half-naked next to the woman that she's had more than one un-platonic dream about. "Hey, Astra?"

"Yes?"

"When do you close for the night?" 

At Astra's inquiring look, Alex smiles at her, trying to sound more confident than she feels. "How about I pay you back for the tattoo with dinner and a drink? If you like."

Astra's answering smile is wide, her usual reticence wiped completely away. "I'd like that very much."

"Okay," Alex says, aware that she's probably smiling like an idiot herself at this point. "Well, good."

Astra's eyes turn soft again, and she leans forward. Alex thinks she's going to kiss her cheeks, but Astra turns trajectory and places a soft kiss over the wrapped, tender tattoo, while her hands curl around Alex's exposed waist. Alex's brain just about shortcircuits, abandoing all common sense in favor of chanting a litany of _want want want_.

"I'll see you tonight, Brave One," Astra is so close to her that Alex can feel her breath unfurling against her ears, and that finally breaks the spell.

"See you," Alex manages to breathe out.

Thankfully, Astra steps away after that, leaving Alex to the process of getting enough braincells together to put her shirt back on, get up, and walk out of the door. She manages a calm wave to Astra, and then all but skips out the door, her mind already filled with ideas on where to take her for dinner.

\---


End file.
